The Legend of Zelda: Dreamweaver
by He Who Lurks in Shadow
Summary: It's back! While returning to Hyrule, Link is visited by someone he never expected. This person leads Link to an island only thought to have existed in his dreams! Upon discovering a mystical weapon, Link sets out to free the island from an unknown fate.
1. Departing from Holodrum

**A/N: Well, hello everyone! First off, yes, I have put HA:SE and HA:YF on hiatus, as well as any other writing. However, when I did that, I never expected to have someone come to me and ask for this story to surface again. The following is a version of my very first fanfiction. I have cleaned it up a bit here and there, so for people who have read this story before, one, I apoligize immensely, and two, parts will seem different, but that's because I had to type most of what I have here from memory. Of course. I'm still typing and editing as I type this, so while I can't promise instant updates, I've put everything aside for this, including all my other stories. Now, feel free to read on!

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**Chapter One**

The sun's brilliant light flashed once again over the horizon, marking the rising of the sun. Upon Holodrum's shore, four figures stood. One was dressed in a long, flowing red dress, the other in a slightly different blue dress, this one with a blue-green blouse. Off to the side stood a third woman, wearing a green skirt. The three of them were centering their conversation on a man in a green tunic who was hastily putting things in a bag.

"Glad to see you're all packed and ready to go. It's the things like this that make me worry about you," Nayru, the one in blue, said.

Link, the man in green shrugged. "You'd be surprised how fast I can be ready to go, though. I believe I told you about Ganondorf's falling castle?"

Farore, the other one in green, giggled. "Yes, and you spent half an hour on the Princess Zelda alone, though."

Link stuck his tongue out at Farore momentarily before standing up, swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Okay. I think I'm ready."

Din, the woman in red, nodded. "I have a favor to ask of you. Seeing as how I have already been captured once, I would ask it of you to keep this with you." She held out the Rod of Seasons to Link.

Link nodded and carefully took it. "I will do all that is in my power to protect this, even unto the ends of the earth."

Nayru stepped forward. "Okay, so Din here stole my thunder, but she's got a point. None of us are truly safe forever, and we all know that you can use these items as they were meant to be used. I, too, would ask it of you to watch over the Harp of Ages." Nayru passed Link the Harp of Ages.

Link slid the Harp into its straps. "Again, I will guard it with my life."

Nayru nodded, fighting back tears. "You behave yourself out there, okay? I don't need to be hearing about time-traveling pirates and the like."

"You kidding? I'm heading straight back to Hyrule. I've had enough high seas adventures for one lifetime. Besides, I wouldn't make a good pirate. I prefer the shore."

Farore glanced across the ocean. "I hate to tell you this, but it's a long way to Hyrule. Don't rush, or you might miss out on helping people who need you."

Link tried to see what Farore was looking at. After a minute, he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You Oracles must have super vision or something."

Farore glanced back at Link. "I am the Oracle of Secrets, after all. Now, go on, before Nayru starts crying even more."

Link hugged the Oracles. "Goodbye. If the winds ever take me again through here, I will be sure to drop by."

Nayru nodded and she and Din turned to leave. Link grabbed a rope and tossed it onto his little boat. He climbed in and started to shove off, but he stopped when he noticed that Farore was still standing near him.

"Link, be careful," Farore said, standing at the edge of the boat. "The seas south of here are treacherous, and I don't mean from anything that you can necessarily see. Be on your guard, okay?"

Link nodded. "I will. If anything happens, I'll pass the word along to you."

She nodded and stepped away. Link shoved an oar into the sand, pushing the boat further into the water. He waved goodbye at Farore.

"May the Goddesses be with you on your journey!" she shouted.

"And with you!" he replied as the current grabbed his boat, pulling it out farther.

After a minute, a medium-sized ship came into view. Link steered his little craft to the ship and tied a rope to each end of the boat. He grabbed the other ends of the rope that he had threaded through poles on the ship and pulled them, yanking the boat out of the water.

After he was high enough, he jumped onto the big boat and fastened the small boat to the side. He walked along the deck and opened the cabin door. Inside the room were a simple bed and a table. Placing his bag on the bed, he carefully laid the Rod of Seasons and Harp of Ages on the table. He yawned and walked outside, closing the door.

Link walked over to the edge of the boat and quickly located the anchor. After attempting to pull it up, he sighed. Dashing back into the cabin, he pulled a Power Bracelet from the bag and snapped it onto his wrist. He yanked up the anchor with little resistance and laid it carefully on the ship's deck. Pulling another rope, it came loose and fell quickly to the deck. The ship's sail fell open and caught the wind, starting the ship forward.

Link walked up to the wheel and steered the ship southward. The wind was blowing a bit more west than south, but it was enough to get the ship moving. Tired, he walked back to the cabin. Opening the door once again, he was about to enter when there was a great flapping of wings and a thud from behind him. He spun around just in time to see a large creature fly off and a familiar young woman standing up near the front of the ship. Link tried in vain to recall the name of the woman, or at least where they'd met.

"Link?" she asked, her eyes landing on him. She stood still for a moment, but soon rushed over to Link, embracing him. "Link!"

Link hugged her back, but when she pulled back, she saw the confusion on his face. "Don't you recognize me?"

Link sighed. "I know you're face, but your name escapes me."

"Link, it's me, Malon."


	2. A Stormy Arrival

**Chapter Two**

"Malon!" Link exclaimed in surprise. He remembered Malon from his adventure in Hyrule. They had met at her father's ranch, and she had taught Link a song that turned out to be very useful. She also introduced Link to Epona, a faithful horse that had to stay behind when Link left Hyrule. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

Malon explained what had happened since Link had left. Everything had been peaceful, but a few months ago, the Gerudo leader Ganondorf had suddenly disappeared. The Gerudo, of course, blamed Hyrule. Hyrule, of course, had nothing to do with it. Around that time, a large bird-creature had started kidnapping girls from across Hyrule. At first, of course, Hyrule blamed the Gerudo, but the Gerudo merely said that they were losing people, too.

"That's when I got taken," Malon said. "Dad tried to protect me, but that bird-thing grabbed him, too. It took us to this weird island and dropped him on the top of this mountain. This big monster thing was at the top of the mountain and it told me to tell you that it was waiting for you."

"What did it look like?" Link asked.

"It looked a lot like a Gerudo, but it was a man. I guess, since there's only one man in the whole Gerudo place, that would make him Ganondorf, but he looked way too dark. I mean, he was almost pure black, and he never left the shadows."

"Shadow Ganon," Link said, sighing. "Do you know where this island is?"

Malon nodded. "It's just a little toward the southwest."

Link stood and walked toward the ship's wheel. "Okay. We're going to go and rescue your father, then figure out what's going on, and then I'll take you back to Hyrule."

"Okay."

Link yawned and aimed the ship to the southwest. He heard the sails fill and tug on the mast as the wind pushed them forward. They had covered a little ground from Holodrum and Labrynnia, but now they were making better time. Link glanced over at Malon, who was sitting back against the mast.

"How far away was the island?"

She thought for a moment. "That bird only carried me for maybe an hour once we left the island."

Link nodded. _So, that means that it'll probably take us about two, three hours max, especially if the wind keeps up like this._

"You got any place I can sleep?" Malon asked. "Being kidnapped takes a lot of energy out of you."

Link nodded. "There's a spare cabin back behind mine. The door's just through that door."

Malon stood and walked over to the door. "I hope I'm not being a bother."

Farore's words echoed through Link's mind. _Don't rush, or you might miss out on helping people who need you._ Link shook his head. "Of course not. I'm more than happy to help."

Malon smiled. "Thanks," she replied, vanishing into the cabin.

Link removed his Power Bracelet and unbuckled his sword belt. He, too, walked into the cabin, catching Malon's dress vanishing through the next door as it shut. He put the Bracelet back into his bag and laid his sword next to the Rod of Seasons. Propping his shield up against the table, Link yawned again, tossed his hat on the table, and fell forward onto the bed. He didn't even have time to get comfortable before he was asleep.

----

Link yawned as he opened his eyes. He looked outside and guessed that he had been asleep about two and a half hours. The wind had died down some, so they were not making as much progress. He walked outside. A sudden burst of cool air startled him, waking him up faster.

"Malon!" Link shouted. "We've got ourselves a problem!"

Link heard two doors fly open as Malon rushed to him. "What?"

Link pointed ahead of them. The sky was quite literally pitch black. Storm clouds were forming everywhere, some even breaking off and drifting forwards. At that moment, the rain started.

Link rushed forward, grabbing a rope and using his momentum to swing up to the bar that ran perpendicular to the mast. He quickly pulled the rope up.

"Malon! See that rope right there?" He pointed to a small rope that was hanging near the bottom of the mast. "Pull it, and hard!"

Malon complied, yanking the rope with all her strength. It gave way, and the sail flapped up, the knot that had been holding it down released. Link pulled the fabric up as fast as he could and secured it with the rope. He backtied the knot, so that when he pulled the rope, it would tighten the knot instead of loosening it. Sliding down the rope, he pulled on the rope as hard as he could.

Lightning flashed overhead. Link watched in horror as one bolt struck the mast. The bolt's energy coursed through the boat, literally tearing it apart.

Malon screamed and grabbed Link, holding tight to him. Link quickly grabbed the severed rope and tied an end to each of them as the floor started to give way. Another bolt of lightning struck the ship right next to Link and he lost consciousness.

----

"Wake up. Link, wake up," a voice whispered above him.

Link groaned, slowly opening his eyes. A woman stood above him, one that he recognized, but could not place.

"Hey, Dad! He's awake!" the woman shouted.

Link groaned, her loud voice sending sharp pains through his head.

"Are you okay?" a man asked, walking up to the woman. He, too, looked familiar, but Link could not yet place him.

"Wh… Where am I?" Link asked, trying to sit up.

"Koholint," the woman said.

"Koholint…" Link whispered. The name was vaguely familiar, but only barely so.

"Marin here found you washed up on the Toronbo Shores this morning. She said that you must've got caught in that storm."

Link remembered a storm. He was on a ship and it was raining. Lightning was everywhere, and he was trying to save the sails from any harm. A stray bolt hit the mast and decimated the boat. He also remembered a woman that he had tied to him, though her name, too, escaped him.

Suddenly, his brain supplied a name. "Malon! Where is she?" Link asked.

"You mean the other one Marin found?" the man asked. "She's okay. That rope cut her a bit, but nothing that time won't heal. You, though, should be thankful that you're alive. Marin wouldn't have even found you had this Malon not pointed you out before blacking out herself. You were buried under half a ship, you know, because of where you two were tied together. The Goddesses must really like you."

"Farore," Link said instantly, not thinking.

"More foolhardy, if you ask me," the man commented.

"Oh, Dad, give him a break. Obviously, he did it so that the two of them wouldn't get separated."

Link laid back. "I'm… gonna rest… for just a minute."

The last thing he saw was Marin smiling.

----

When Link sat up again, he saw Malon sitting next to the bed. She looked over at him, a slight smile on her face.

"Thanks, Link," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked.

"Saving my life. If you hadn't tied that rope around us, I probably wouldn't have even made it to shore, or so Tarin says."

"Tarin?"

"That's Marin's father."

"Oh." Link slowly crawled out of the bed and sat down at the table. "What have I missed while I've been out?"

Malon shook her head and sat down across from him. "Nothing, really. I haven't been up long. Marin and Tarin went to see if they could find anything useful in the wreckage. They should be back any time now."

As if on cue, Marin and Tarin walked through the door. Link nodded to both of them in greeting as they put a few assorted things on the table.

"This is all we could find. Anything still useable?"

Link's eyes darted across the table. Instantly, he grabbed a white and red rod and a red and blue harp from the table. He could not remember what they were or what they were for, but he knew that they were special. He scanned the table and also grabbed a sheathed sword. The words _Master Sword_ echoed in his head as he unsheathed the blade. He traced the triple triangle symbol on the hilt and knew that it was called the _Triforce_, but had no idea why it was so important. The names _Din, Nayru,_ and _Farore_ sprang to mind, be he could not place them either. He sheathed the sword.

"Some rocks fell a few weeks ago," Marin was saying. "They've barred our way up."

Malon growled. "And there's no way around them?" she asked, obviously upset.

Marin shook her head. "None.

"What's wrong?" Link asked, confused. "And up where?"

"Your companion here's wanting to climb up the tallest mountain in Tal Tal Heights," Tarin commented.

An image of a giant mountain with steps cut into the side flashed in his head. He dismissed the image and listened to Tarin explain what he knew about the avalanche that had blocked off the path.

"Now, why're you wanting to go up there?" Tarin asked.

Malon explained how she had been kidnapped and how her father had been dropped off at the tallest mountain. After she finished, Tarin whistled in amazement.

"Wow. I didn't know that anything like that had been going on here."

Malon glanced at the table. She lifted up a small bracelet. "Hay, Link, isn't this what you were wearing when I got dropped onto the ship?"

Link shrugged. "I… I'm not sure." He took it and snapped it on his left wrist. "It can't hurt, though."

Malon looked at Link. "Are you okay?"

"Honestly, my head hurts, it's hard to remember anything, and I'm having an almost-constant sense of déjà vu."

"Do you remember who I am?" she asked.

"Malon," Link replied. "I remember who you are, just very little about you."

"That's okay. It'll come to you, I'm sure. Think you're up to seeing how bad this rock situation is?"

Link nodded. "Sounds fine to me." He stood, strapped on the sword, and led the way out. However, as the four of them exited, a large bird swooped down and grabbed Malon and Marin.

"Link! Help!" Malon shouted.

Tarin rushed forward, but stopped once he saw the bird fly upwards, to the Tal Tal Heights. "That stupid bird!" he exclaimed. He rushed inside and quickly came back out with a bag strapped to his back. "Let's go, Link!"

Link nodded and the two set out toward Tal Tal Heights as Tarin laid out the path they would take.

"I figure we can cross the Ukuku Prairie just east of here and head northward. That should lead us to the Koholint Prairie, and once we cross that, we'll arrive at the Tabahl Wasteland. Just north of there is the Tal Tal mountain range, and Mount Tamaranch is directly north of there."

"Tamaranch?" Link asked. The name sounded familiar, but again, it wasn't one he could place.

Tarin nodded. "That's the tallest mountain on Koholint."

"Oh." Duh. "Lead the way, then."


	3. Tamaranch Showdown

**Chapter Three**

Link gazed up at the mountain. "That's Mount Tamaranch?" he asked incredulously.

Tarin nodded. "Yup." He pointed to a series or large boulders blocking the way. "And that's why we're not up there yet."

Link walked over to them. They were easily four times his size. He tried to push one, but didn't budge it. Suddenly, there was a tingling feeling from his left wrist and Link glanced over as the bracelet that Malon had handed him locked together. The boulder suddenly shifted and tumbled down the mountain.

"Well! That's a nice trick!" Tarin exclaimed. "Think you can do that to some of these others?"

"I can try," Link said. He shoved a second boulder aside and watched triumphantly as it tumbled down the mountain. They both then rushed up the mountain.

At the top, Link and Tarin saw Malon and Marin being guarded by the bird. Link drew his sword, but stopped when an icy voice floated across the area.

"Well, well. It seems that Link has come to save the day."

Link spun and watched as a tall Gerudo male walked toward him.

"Ganondorf," Link spat.

"It seems you remember me. It's been quite some time."

Link readied his sword. "Release them!"

Ganondorf laughed as he, too, drew his blade. "Honestly, like I'm really going to just give up." He stepped toward Link, his blade slicing through the air.

Link jumped back, avoiding Ganondorf's blade, and stepped forward as well, stabbing at Ganondorf. The Gerudo, however, seemed to have anticipated the fact. He blocked Link's stab with his sword and countered with another side slice. Link easily avoided the blow and rolled forward, around Ganondorf. He jumped up and rammed the hilt of the Master Sword into Ganondorf's back.

The Gerudo stumbled forward in pain. He growled and turned around, coming at Link with a new level of intensity, one that Link hadn't expected. Link blocked a few of the Gerudo's blows, but suddenly, Ganondorf spun his sword around and the two blades locked. Ganondorf, being the eldest, easily overpowered Link and sent the Master Sword flying off of the mountain.

Link stepped back, thinking desperately. He glanced over and saw some rubble, probably something Ganondorf had destroyed. Dashing to it, Link grabbed the first thing he saw: a large block of wood. He used it as a shield to block Ganondorf's attacks, but he knew it wouldn't last long. Ganondorf smashed his sword into the shield, simultaneously sending shockwaves through Link's arm and splintering the wood. After a few more hits, the wood fell apart.

Ganondorf laughed and slammed Link in the stomach with his sword's hilt. "Any last words?" he asked.

Link fell to the ground. He sat up, trying to think of a way to keep Ganondorf busy while he thought of a plan. His hand fervently searched behind him for something to fight back with. "Yeah. How're the hags you call parents doing?"

In rage, Ganondorf swung his sword down, intending to cleave Link in two. However, at that very moment, Link had grabbed some long object. Without thinking, he held it out in front of him, closing his eyes. He waited for Ganondorf's sword to hit.


	4. The Staff of Nevara

**Chapter Four**

Link cringed when he heard the sword slam into something, but was surprised when he didn't feel the cold steel of Ganondorf's blade. He opened his eyes, only to see a slender green rod in his hands, stopping the Gerudo's swing. Link pushed back with the stick and Ganondorf stumbled back.

Link jumped up, looking at the stick. He traced the markings on the side as his brain quickly translated the writing: _Nevara_.

Nevara! The Staff of legends! Every Hylina had heard the story of the weapon so powerful that it could be willed to become anything that the wielder desired it to be. In a flash, this stick could become a sword, ready for combat, and a moment later become a shield that blocked almost every blow. Link laughed at his luck.

"What, are you banking on some sort of stick to save you?" Ganondorf taunted.

"It's not a stick!" Link shouted back. "It's a staff!"

Ganondorf laughed. "What's the difference?"

Link held the Staff out, concentrating on an image of the Master Sword. He opened his eyes to see the Staff shifting its shape to that of the Master Sword's. "Sticks can't do that."

"Well, let's see how your _staff_ stands up to me!" Ganondorf charged.

Link blocked Ganondorf's blow and landed one of his own. Trying to remember every fighting move he could, Link stepped into a series of combination attacks, each fitted together in perfection, and each finding a way to slip under Ganondorf's guard. After quite a few attacks, Ganondorf stumbled and fell to the ground.

Link stood above him, the Master Sword at his throat. "Give it up, Ganondorf."

"Never," was the reply as Ganondorf quite literally vanished.

Link stepped back, startled. He glanced at his staff and concentrated on what it had been. The Staff returned to normal.

He turned toward where Malon and Marin were. The bird was calm, but was glaring at Link with a fire in its eyes. Link thought for a moment about what he could use to take down the bird.

As he thought, an image of a bow and a set of arrows flashed into his mind. He could remember himself shooting arrows at thousands of Keese that were swarming him, but he could not place the location. However, as he struggled to remember where it had happened, he felt the Staff of Nevara shift in his hand.

He opened his eyes to see a bow in his hands, an arrow already strung. Link drew back the arrow and aimed it at the giant bird. He let fly the arrow and watched as it flew through the air and sailed into and through the bird's wing.

The bird screeched in pain and took to the air. Link noticed that somehow, there was another arrow ready to fire. He shrugged and aimed once again at the bird. The second arrow flew true and stuck into the bird's belly.

Malon and Marin rushed over to Link. "I knew you'd come and save us!" Malon exclaimed, hugging Link. He returned the hug and concentrated on the Staff, turning it back to normal. Malon looked at it.

"Is that..?"

Link nodded, twirling the Staff in the air. "Yes, it is. It's the Staff of Nevara."

It was right then that Marin ran up to Link. "Thank you!" She hugged him quickly and walked to the edge of Mount Tamaranch. "We might be able to get your sword back, you know."

"Lead the way," Link said.

Marin nodded and she and Tarin walked down the mountain, stopping at a small area about two thirds of the way down. Tarin jumped over some rocks and dug around for a minute. He jumped back over the rocks and handed Link his sword back.

"Thank you," Link said.

"Glad to help," Tarin replied. "After all, you just saved Marin from whatever that thing was."

Link glanced up at the sky. It was quickly becoming covered with clouds, which sent a mysterious shudder down Link's spine.

"Another storm," Marin said, sighing. "It's been like this for a month or so now."

"Come on, you all. Let's get back to the house," Tarin recommended as the rain started falling.

Link and Malon hastily agreed.


	5. A Sleepless Night

**Chapter Five**

Link yawned, sitting up on the floor. He had convinced Marin that she didn't need to give up her bed for him, though Tarin still forced Malon to take his. He and Tarin had rolled out sleeping bags and slept on the floor.

Link slowly and quietly stood up. It was still nighttime, and everyone was asleep, but the storm had at least calmed down. He walked to the door and carefully pulled it open.

"Can't sleep?" Marin asked as Link left the house.

Link glanced over to the fence where Marin was sitting. "Guess not. You?"

She nodded. "The same." She sighed.

"What's wrong?" Link asked.

Marin sighed again. "This is going to sound weird, I know, and you might not-"

Link stopped her. "Trust me. I've been through weird. What's going on?"

"I feel like I've met you before. Every time I see you, I feel like we've already met, in some other place or something. That, and I can hear this tune echoing in the distance sometimes. I can't explain it, but it's scaring me."

Link walked over next to her. "I know the feeling. Ever since I woke up here, everything feels like a bad case of déjà vu. And that tune, I know what you're talking about. I heard it on the top of Mount Tamaranch. It sounds almost like a lullaby."

"Or a ballad," Marin said without thinking.

Link thought for a second. "I guess so." He thought a moment more before looking up suddenly. "Marin, what did your father do with the clothes I was wearing when you found me?"

"They're inside. Why?"

Link opened the door. He threaded his way around Tarin and searched the house. It didn't take long, mainly because the house was really small, before he found what he was looking for. He grabbed the still-damp tunic and pulled open an almost invisible secret pocket. From this pocket, he removed an egg-shaped instrument that seemed to shine even in the darkness. Link returned outside.

"What's that?" Marin asked.

"I want to say it's the Ocarina of Time, but what that means or is, I'm not sure." Standing here, holding the Ocarina, Link felt a sense of peace sweep over him. He lifted it to his mouth and started playing. He tried to mimic the melody that he had heard on Mount Tamaranch, but after a few seconds he realized that he knew how to play the tune. After a few more seconds, Marin started singing, her voice matching the melody of the Ocarina.

They went on like this for several minutes before they both stopped. Marin glanced in amazement at the Ocarina. "Is it magic or something?" she asked.

"Yes, but not there. I already knew the song, but I guess I had forgotten it."

"That's what it felt like to me, too."

Though neither of them said it, they both knew that the song was called the _Ballad of the Wind Fish_, though neither knew what a Wind Fish was, nor why it had a ballad about it that they both knew.

"I feel kinda sleepy," Marin whispered after a minute. Link nodded and she vanished inside the house. Link waited until the door was firmly shut before he left the yard, following the path on the ground.

He wound his way past the house with the chained thing and past the library. He went left from where the beach started and worked his way through the woods, though toward what, he did not know.

After a few minutes, the trees parted and Link entered a clearing. Before him stood three statues of some sort of segmented worm. Beyond that was a cave of sorts, with bars covering the entrance. In the exact middle, though, the bars were gone. Link walked forward, taking his first steps into the Tail Cave.


	6. Return to Tail Cave

**Chapter Six**

Link entered the cave slowly, finding himself in a room with strange statues with one eye staring at him. Shrugging them off, he walked forward, into the next room.

He drew his sword and slashed to his left and right, destroying two blobs that were crawling toward him on the floor. He hurried along to the right and found two Stalfos, which he dispatched as well. Pushing upwards into the next room, he not only found another Stalfos, but he heard the door slam shut behind him. He killed the Stalfos with, again, little difficulty. He heard a lock click open and the door to his right swung ajar.

Being a curious person, he shoved the door open wide and walked in. The door behind him slammed shut and something on the other side of the room stirred. Suddenly, a large spiked cylinder rolled toward him. Link leaped over it just in time to see a pink blob jump onto the other side of the cylinder. Link again leaped over the spikes and this time slashed at the thing with his sword. It shrieked and ran away, to the other side of the spiked roller. A third time, Link leaped over the roller and attacked the blob with his sword. He repeated this procedure three or four more times, until suddenly the blob fell to the floor. It started melting. When it finished melting, the liquid seeped out of the room through the door Link had come in. The north door came open with a click and Link walked through.

Link jumped over the Traps that came toward him and walked to the north side of the room. He saw a large door with a keyhole almost as large. He was about to turn back when, in a puff of smoke, the door completely vanished.

"Come, Link," a voice echoed. "Come and face me."

Link walked north into the room, but this time when the door slammed shut, it didn't surprise him. He walked toward the middle of the room, instantly noticing the ring of pits that surrounded the room.

Link froze when he came to the middle of the room. In the direct center was a statue. The person on the statue looked exactly like himself!

"What's going on?" he demanded.

There was the sound of flapping wings and a large owl landed on the statue.

"Kaepora?" Link asked.

The owl hooted. "Not quite, though we have met on occasion. It is good to see you again, Link."

"We've met?" Link inquired.

The owl shook its head. "No, not in the real world."

"Then where'd we meet?"

"I heard that you were having memory problems, so I don't expect that you remember us. Link, when you were sailing toward Labrynnia, do you remember being struck by lightning not too far away from the islands?"

Link thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good. Now, do you remember waking up and feeling like you had just had a very, very long and tiring dream?"

Link nodded.

"You dreamed this island, Link," the owl said. "You dreamed of Marin, and Tarin, and Richard, and Ulrira, and BowWow, and Mabe Village, and especially Mount Tamaranch. You also dreamed of the Wind Fish, a great whale that was trapped within an egg in an eternal slumber. Through this dungeon, and seven others, you traveled and defeated eight Nightmares, collecting the eight Instruments of the Sirens. You woke the Wind Fish and thus awoke yourself. That's why everything seems so familiar."

Link considered this. It was a good possibility. Sure, a lot of his memory was still fuzzy, but he remembered the shipwreck and waking up afterward. It also explained the déjà vu and the events a half-hour ago with Marin.

"So then, what do I do now?" Link finally asked.

The owl looked behind him. "Go through that door."

Link shrugged and walked into the next room. There were stairs leading up to a raised platform. Link climbed up to the platform and found a small chest sitting there. He opened it and pulled out a small tablet.

_THE WIND FISH IN NAME ONLY, FOR IT IS NEITHER_

Link read the tablet and almost instantly dropped it. He fell to his knees; his head felt like it was on fire.

_Link slashed at the Moblin. It fell and vanished as the door to the right came unlocked. Inside was BowWow, a large chained ball. Link carefully unfastened the chain and took BowWow outside._

_Link drew his sword again as BowWow ate another one of the plants. He tied the chain to the plants in the swamp and entered the Bottle Grotto. Inside, he walked forward, into the next room, and onto a platform. He sprinkled a touch of magic powder onto the lamps and they burst into flames._

Link groaned and stood slowly. His left arm felt like his blood had been replaced with liquid fire. He looked at his left arm and noticed nothing visibly different, at least, on his arm. His hand though, was glowing. The Triforce was etched onto the back of his hand, the bottom right piece pulsing. The pain, and the glow, quickly faded and soon all that Link could see was the Triforce mark, though even that was barely visible.

Link looked around as he stood and realized that he was standing outside Marin's house. He had no idea when he had arrived there, or how, but he was glad to be back there so that he could rest. He stumbled into the house and fell asleep almost instantly, the Triforce still glowing with a pale light in the darkness.


	7. No Time Like the Past

**Chapter Seven - No Time Like the Past!**

Link groaned and sat up. His entire body felt sore and his left arm felt numb. He looked up, only to see Malon standing above him.

"So, you've decided to wake up," she said.

Link yawned, rubbing his left arm, hoping to stimulate some sort of blood flow. "Yeah, it seems so."

"What in Hyrule happened to you?"

Link stood slowly, his left arm starting to tingle. "I went to the Tail Cave last night."

"The Tail Cave?" Marin exclaimed in surprise from the table. "You mean you actually _went_ in there? No one's ever went in there and survived."

"It was nothing big," Link replied. "A piece of cake, really."

"Well, I guess you're more than a regular sword-swingin' warrior," Tarin said as he closed the door. "There's an owl outside lookin' for you, by the way."

"An owl?" Malon asked.

Tarin nodded. "'Round these parts, we grow used to seein' strange things. Just a week ago this big alligator stomped past while munchin' on dog food."

Deciding not to ask, Link stood and walked past Tarin. He opened the door and exited the house. He could see an owl perched on the fence.

"Good morning!" it hooted. "I see you recovered well."

"Sounds to me like you planned it in the beginning," Link replied, a sting to his remark.

"Hoo! I never intended for you to black out! Amnesia is easiest cured when the afflicted comes into contact with things that evoke strong memories. I believed that a line about the Wind Fish that I know you ran into on your journey would do you some sort of good."

"Yeah, well, all I can remember it doing was hurting," Link replied. "Wait, I do remember something… There were… Moblins. And a giant ball on a chain that ate stuff. BowWow, I think. It was eating on some plants in a swamp. It opened up some path for me. It's still kinda fuzzy."

The owl sat still for a moment, only moving to shake its wings for a second. Finally, it seemed to reach a conclusion.

"You are a tough case. Never in any of my years have I seen someone who is quite literally overflowing with power, but cannot use much of it at all. That shipwreck did a number on your brain, and I've come to realize that you can't remember half of what your stuff can do. For instance, your sword, did you know that it has the power to seal away evil?"

Link didn't say anything. For some reason, he knew that the Master Sword could do that, but, again, he had no idea how he knew it.

"And that rod you've got shoved in your pack, the red and white one. I don't have a clue what it does, but whatever it is, its power is spilling over in disuse. The same thing with that Harp on your back. I don't know what it does, either, but I can hear tunes dancing across the strings from wanting to be played. And don't even get me started on the Staff of Nevara! With that thing, you've got so many tricks up your sleeve, you'd have to invest in long sleeve tunics!"

Link could feel the Rod's power and he could hear the songs form the Harp, as well, but he didn't know what they were or what they did, and he wasn't going to take a chance yet. The Staff, however, he knew some of its power, and he was eager to learn more.

"You know what the Staff can do? Will you tell me?"

The owl hooted. "I know nothing more than what you know. The Staff can become anything that the user has or has had, but only to the letter. For example, I know that you've never had an eighty-pound tuna sword, so if you try to change the Staff into that, it won't work. However, I know you've had a standard metal shield, probably of the Hylian variety, so if you concentrate on an image of that, you'll have a shield exactly the same as your last one. Beyond that, the Staff's powers escape me. I remember hearing somewhere that there is a cost to using then Staff, but I don't remember what it is, or was. I would advise using the Staff with caution, though."

Link sat down, looking at the Staff of Nevara. When he had used it on Mount Tamaranch, he had acted on impulse. The Staff had done what he wanted it to do, and he couldn't think of any drawbacks that he had found. "I'll remember your advice." He stood.

The owl flew to the roof of the house. "There was an explosion at the Bottle Grotto some weeks ago. It might not hurt to check it out." With that, the owl flew off.

"Bottle Grotto, Link said without a moment's hesitation. "Which way?"

Marin pointed toward a forest to the north. "Through the Mysterious Forest is Goponga Swamp, where the Bottle Grotto is. It's another dangerous place like the Tail Cave, though, so be careful, okay?"

Link nodded. "Of course." He turned and left the yard. Weaving his way in a northwest fashion, he entered the Mysterious Forest.

----

Some hours later, Link, slightly worse for the wear, erupted out of the Mysterious Forest into the Swamp. He trudged his way through the muck and navigated the maze of pink _things_ with relative ease. At the edge of the Swamp, Link discovered what might have once been a cave. However, rocks had fallen over the entrance and it looked like they had been fused together by lightning. Link tried to budge the rocks, but he soon tired and gave up. He sat down on one of the rocks and sighed.

"What now? I've tried moving them. I've tried pushing them. I'm too late to prevent them from falling. What's left to do?"

Link yawned and leaned against the rocks. It may no have been the best in the world, but the superheated edges were surprisingly comfortable. Before Link knew what was happening, he was peacefully dozing.

----

_Link darted into a side room, panting heavily form lack of breath. Footsteps thundered past. Link was safe, for now. Things were not looking up for him this time. Veran had sent guards after him, meaning that the Past was no longer safe to him._

_That left only one thing to do._

_Link swung the Harp of Ages over his shoulder and held it in front of him. Running his fingers over the strings, he began to pick out the notes that made up the Tune of Ages. As he played, he could feel the fabric of time ripping apart, starting at the strings of the Harp._

----

Link groaned as he returned to reality. The sun was setting quickly over the island, covering the swamp in darkness. Link suddenly remembered his dream. He grabbed the Harp from his back and set it on his lap. He ran his fingers across the strings, as he had done in his dream. The notes came instinctively to him, and as he played them he watched the world pull itself apart. After a few seconds, he could actually see the strings of time as they stretched out.

Suddenly, he heard a horrible sound come from the Harp and everything literally slammed back together with enough force to send Link reeling forward into the swamp. He groaned and stood up, now covered in swamp slime.

"Oops. Wrong note. Let's try that again."

And with that, Link played the Tune of Ages once more. This time, the strings of time stayed, and Link felt himself being pulled into the past.


	8. What Once Was Done

**Chapter Eight – What Once Was Done**

Link watched as the world strung itself back together. The Tune of Ages echoed slowly back into the world as Link ceased playing. He swung the Harp back over his shoulder and looked around.

It was sunrise. Tiny raindrops fell softly down, but they did not sting when they hit. Instead, it felt as if someone was spraying Link with a fine mist.

Link turned to look at the cave. The rocks were gone, and in their place was a large cave entrance. Link drew his sword and cautiously entered the cave.

There was nothing in the cave. Literally nothing. Link knew he was standing on a floor, but there was no light to see anything by. He could see where he came in, but the cave walls seemed to go on forever in the darkness. Link walked forward for a little bit to see if he could find a wall, but there was nothing but air. Link sighed and walked back to the entrance.

Outside, the rain continued. Link walked southwest, back toward the Mysterious Forest. There had to be something he could find in the Past. He backtracked through the Mysterious Forest, noticing that it was far easier this time through. He quickly found himself standing in Mabe Village, but everything was different.

Instead of the usual assortment of a few houses here and there, only one house could be seen. It occupied the now-vacant lot beside Marin and Tarin's house. Link cautiously approached it and knocked on the door.

The door all but exploded open. A burly man stood in the doorway, holding a large butcher knife.

"Who're you?" he demanded.

"Link," Link replied. This man looked dangerous, but there was something about him that wasn't deadly.

The man thought for a moment. "Alright," he finally said. "What can I do fer you?"

Link replied by describing his events at the Bottle Grotto, leaving out the rocks and time travel. After his tale, the man nodded thoughtfully.

"Don' sound too good. Dem caves are always actin' up. Jes' last week dat Turtle up dere started spewin' flames everywhere. I goes up there yesterday, I did, and da entire place is froze over."

"That's… a bit strange. A turtle, you say?"

The man nodded. "Yep." He went on to describe the turtle and what could usually be found in the cave. As he talked, Link felt himself getting dizzy. All this talk of the cave was starting to make him feel lightheaded. However, when the man started talking about large, black, bulbous snakes that spat fire, Link passed out.

----

_An explosion almost knocked Link's feet out from under him. The large Dodongo Snake towered over him, roaring. It started sucking in air. Link, thinking quickly, grabbed a Bomb and shoved it in its mouth. The Dodongo Snake pulled back, surprised. Seconds later, it exploded._

----

"Hey, yo! Little dude, wake up!" the man shouted.

Link found himself lying in the dirt, the man towering over him. He bolted awake and shot up.

"You 'kay?" he asked.

Link rubbed his head. "Yeah, decently enough. I think I need to get back, though. Thanks for telling me about the turtle."

The man nodded. "Alright. If dere be anyting you need, feel free t' swing by."

Link nodded. "Okay. I'll see ya later!"

The man nodded and walked back inside the house.

Link walked back into the Mysterious Forest. Again, it was a piece of cake to get to the other side, and within a minute he was standing in front of the Bottle Grotto. He quickly ducked inside.

"If things are calm in the present, and freaking out in the past, what if I force myself into one from another?" he schemed. He entered the empty cave and pulled out the Harp of Ages. Again playing, his fingers instantly found the Tune of Ages and Link watched Time rip apart again. He watched as his own time again formed around him, but this time he was on the other side of the boulders. Other shapes, too, began to appear, filling in the missing cave. As the music faded, Link looked around at the newly completed Bottle Grotto.

The Grotto was filled with pots. Not like the pots back in Hyrule type of pots, either. These were heavy-duty pots that weighted easily three times as much as the Hylian pots. Luckily, Link had the Power Bracelet already.

The Grotto was also filled with cracks. Over time, it seemed that the cave had worn down. Parts of the wall were missing, making travel much easier for Link. Link headed deeper into the cave. In the next room, he found two of the normally well-lit lamps broken and in a heap near a door. He walked through it slowly.

Link passed by the next two rooms with no problems whatsoever. He, however, didn't run into any enemies. With that gnawing at the back of his mind, he went into the next room.

Inside this room, Link found two statues in the center of the room. He drew closer, and quickly decided that they weren't statues. Every step he took toward them, they would twitch forward. Every step left he took, they would pull right, but just barely. He left them well alone and went right again. That room was empty except for a few blocks, so he continued north.

In this room, Link discovered pots everywhere. He proceeded to smash every one, not because he was mean and violent like that, but because pots had a habit of containing useful items like bombs and arrows and Rupees and stuff. These pots were long empty, though, so Link investigated the rest of the room, looking for another way out.

On the north wall, Link found an ancient owl statue. Its beak was missing and it was riddled with thin cracks. Thinking quickly, Link pulled out the Staff of Nevara. Remembering the explosive power of the bombs he had used against the Dodongo Snakes, he concentrated on harnessing that power for himself.

Right before the Staff started to change, Link stopped. If he turned the Staff into a Bomb, it could very well explode and vanish forever. He started again, but this time he focused on the Bomb _Bag_. As he did so, he could feel the Staff's texture change. It wrapped around itself and Link soon held a nice strong bag with Bombs inside. He reached in the Bag, pulled one out, and shoved it into the owl statue's beak hole. He ducked behind a block as the statue exploded. When the dust cleared, Link saw that he had made a hole in the wall. He concentrated on the Staff and it returned to normal. Link strode through the hole and toward the gaping maw of a door ahead. As he walked, he could hear a voice echo around him.

_"Link… Come in… and face your Nightmares!"_


	9. Kaigara

**Chapter Nine – Kaigara**

Link walked into the semi-darkness. Near the far end of the room, Link could just barely see something moving. Suddenly, the lights flared on and Link could now easily see a large bottle sitting at the far end. A plume of smoke rose from it and started to take shape.

"HO HO HO! I'm your bad guy this time!! HO HO HO!" A strange clown-looking person formed in the smoke.

"What is this, a circus act?" Link asked, taunting the thing.

The thing growled and hurled a fireball at Link. Link ducked and drew his sword. At that, the thing turned back into smoke and sank into the bottle.

"NYAH NYAH! You can't hurt me as long as I have my bottle!" The bottle started hopping towards Link. Link hacked at it with his sword, but all it did was stop the bottle. The thing inside echoed a surprised noise out.

". . . .! I can't move! But I am still all right. Your little sword won't break this bottle!"

Link pulled out the Staff of Nevara and concentrated on the Bomb Bag. "Yeah, that's why I plan to do this!" With that, he pulled a Bomb out and shoved it down into the bottle.

There was a muffled explosion and the smoke shot out of the bottle. It reformed into the clown-thing and hurled more fireballs at Link. Link dodged them all and jumped on the bottle. Shoving another Bomb in it, he laughed and jumped back when the clown-thing launched a fireball at him again. The fireball collided with the bottle just as the Bomb went off. The bottle shattered into pieces.

"Waaaah! You- you broke my bottle! Why, you... You make me hopping mad!!!" It threw even more fireballs at Link.

Link dodged them all, but the enemy was hovering in the air. Nothing Link had could reach it. Unless…

Link groaned, his head hurting again. _From somewhere, he could hear organ music. He felt the searing heat of a magic blast fly near him, but he swung his sword and it flew back. There was the sound of sparks, and Link let fly an arrow._

The genie, as he now knew it was, threw another fireball at him, but Link attacked it with his sword. The fireball bounced back at the genie and hit it. Flames spread across the genie, but it quickly recovered.

It growled and threw another fireball. Link, again, hit it back, but this time the genie knocked it back as well. Again, Link hit the fireball, and this time the genie was caught off guard. As the flames spread over it again, Link pulled out the staff of Nevara. He concentrated on a bow, and the Staff became one, arrow and all. Link aimed the arrow at the flaming genie and concentrated again.

By some force of magic, the arrow froze over. Link launched it and it struck the genie in its chest. The ice instantly spread across the genie, freezing the flames and genie alike. The frozen genie fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

A door clanged open to Link's left. He walked in through the door and it slammed shut behind him again.

In front of Link, on a pedestal, stood a statue of a woman far more beautiful than any Link had before seen. She wore a beautiful light blue dress that seemed, even in stone, to skim the floor around her. Her long golden hair wrapped naturally around her waist. She held in her hands a shell that looked remarkably like a horn.

"The Conch Horn," Link whispered, stepping up the steps toward the statue. When he reached the top of the stairs, the statue seemed to shimmer. Link backed up in surprise as it turned to look at him.

_"Link… Hero of Time, you have returned to me. I am Kaigara, the spirit of the Conch Horn."_

The statue shook and it shattered, revealing a woman even more beautiful than the statue ever could have been. The Conch Horn seemed to shine; a rainbow of colors danced across it. She held the Conch Horn with one hand now next to her side. Link had backed up when she had shattered the statue, and she stepped closer to him.

_"Child of Hyrule, you were brought to this island by an evil man, but your presence here stirs an even greater evil. If you were to find a boat or ship, a way to leave, would you?"_

Link shook his head. "No. I told Malon that I would find her father."

_"Even if doing so meant that you will never set foot on another land? Even if it costs you your life?"_

Link nodded. "Malon is a friend, and who am I to subject her father to death if it means I can keep my life? What would my life be worth, then, if I am not willing to risk it for friends?"

The woman nodded. _"Very well. I expected no less. You are indeed worthy of the Triforce Shard you possess. My powers are limited, but I will do what I can to help you in your quest."_ She stepped up next to Link, directly in front of him. She placed her left hand on his hand and lifted the Conch Horn to her mouth with the other. She then played the Horn.

The room was filled with a deep echo. The sound almost drove Link to his knees, but her hand seemed to be keeping him frozen in the spot. Images flashed through his head, some he recognized, such as his fight with the Genie and Shadow Ganon, but others he did not recognize, such as a race against time in some volcano and a chance meeting with an agonizingly familiar woman dressed in battle armor outside a courtyard. Some images, though, he knew not to be his, such as a desperate flight into the Bottle Grotto, trying to escape a large black blob shaped like a large Moldorm, or a deal struck with a beautiful woman for the shell she endlessly guarded for fear of what it could do. They all passed into him, and he passed out.


	10. The Instruments

**Chapter Ten – The Instruments**

_"Before the Island, before the Wind Fish, even before the world, we eight existed, Sarde, Mahri, Nami, Rahi, Ansho, Silu, Raimei, and myself. We eight wandered the world, with no restrictions. Then, the Goddesses came._

_"Din changed the earth, adding land. Continents grew where water had been. Islands exploded into existence where there had been nothing but stretches of sea. Farore then came and added life to the world. Suddenly, where the seas had been calm, life exploded into being. Fish swam for the first time, the great sharks and whales fought and co-operated as they discovered each other's existence. On life, beasts and monsters rose from the ground and, due to their nature, took up primitive arms against one another. Then Nayru came, giving peace to everything. She set laws, rules, the true foundation of the earth._

_"In time, that life flourished. Islands were populated by humans, beasts, and less savory creatures. Meanwhile, we eight explored the land. We had no true forms, but we could become human and descend to the earth. To do this, we had bargained with the Goddesses. In order to become human, our powers as spirits were sealed inside eight magical objects, instruments hand-picked for each of us. Our powers were locked within these Instruments and given to us to carry with us. This was fine with us, and our powers were returned when we left our human bodies._

_"However, things turned bad when we were attacked in our human forms by sirens. The horrible beasts almost killed Ansho, the spirit of the Coral Triangle. We were barely lucky to escape with our lives. Unfortunately, the Sirens made off with the Instruments that had our powers. Of course, after we healed, we went after them._

_"We ambushed them on the edge of Aila Ahun. We managed to reclaim four of the eight instruments, those being the Wind Marimba, the Coral Triangle, the Organ of Evening Calm, and the Thunder Drum. Rahi, Ansho, Silu, and Raimei shed their human forms and decimated the Sirens' home. They brought us our instruments, but before we could take to the skies again, one of the few remaining Sirens swooped down and grabbed my Instrument. That horrible harpy threatened to smash it if we didn't stop attacking and relinquish the other seven Instruments to them. Of course, we obliged._

_"It was at this moment that we discovered that Fate was not smiling down on us that day. At that precise second, The Wind Fish fell asleep. This island was warped into his dream, along with the Sirens and us. Once we were inside its dream, there was to be no escape, yet. The Sirens hastily sealed the Wind Fish inside an egg, sealing it with magic that could only be broken when the eight instruments were together played with the Ballad of the Wind Fish. Our Instruments, and us in them, were sealed in these dungeons and guarded over by one of the eight Sirens that first took our Instruments._

_"These Sirens became the Nightmares you defeated. When you came to us in the dream, I couldn't believe it. I watched from the Horn as you battled your way to the Egg and played the Ballad. We took up your call, escaping from our Instruments and playing them. The spell broke and you vanquished the greatest Siren, the one who had forced us to give it our Instruments. With the Wind Fish again awake, we were set free again._

_"This time, the island returned to its natural resting place. We stayed on the island a while longer, having grown used to it. Unfortunately, that, too was a horrible decision. While we rested, craftsmen came and used our Instruments as moulds for statues of us, though they barely knew what we looked like. They trapped our Instruments in the statues, and we were again sealed, this time literally._

_"When you approached me, Link, I could feel the vibrations of the Triforce. It gave me enough power to shed my statue prison and return to the real world. I myself have the power now to free the others. We will aid you in the final battle, this I swear."_

Link stood up. Kaigara had started in on this tale when he woke up, and he had made himself comfortable. "And this battle will be against who, now?" 

_"Dethl,"_ Kaigara whispered. _"You faced him before, but you only managed to turn the tides and put him to sleep. He is the Siren who stole my Instrument and caused us all this grief, and I will be more than happy to help you destroy him."_

Link nodded. "Fair enough. Now, could you give me a lift out of here?"

_"Of course,"_ she replied. She placed her hand on his shoulder and everything started to glow, blinding Link within moments.

When his vision cleared, Link found himself standing in front of Marin and Tarin's house. Kaigara stood beside him, almost invisible in the fading sunlight.

_"I go to wake the others,"_ she whispered. _"Make your way to Kanalet Castle. Surely, the man you seek is there._" With that, she faded.


	11. Memories

**Chapter Eleven – Memories**

Link yawned and walked into the house. Neither Marin nor Tarin was to be seen, and Malon was fast asleep on one of the beds. He climbed into the other bed, intent on getting some sleep before setting out to find Kanalet Castle. He quickly dozed off, despite a throbbing pain in the back of his head.

As is the nature of sleep, he dreamed.

----

_Link ran forward, dashing along the forest trail. Ahead of him, he could barely make out the vivid green hair of Saria. He dashed forward as fast as he could, gaining ground. He dived through the underbrush. Landing with a thump, he felt more that saw Saria below him, trapped underneath him, as he tightened his grip on her._

_"Ha! Got ya again!" Link shouted._

_Saria squirmed underneath him, trying to get free. "Let me go!"_

_Link laughed and tickled her, causing her to squirm even more. "Gimmie one good reason!"_

_She turned to look at him. "Don't forget, you're ticklish, too."_

_Link instantly let go of her and jumped back. She laughed and stood up, brushing her clothes off._

_"Look what you did! You got a hole in my new dress!"_

_"I did not!" Link countered._

_"Yes you did!" she shouted back. She poked a finger through a small hole on the side of her dress. "See? You drove a stick through it when you landed on me!"_

_"I'm sorry," Link apologized, feeling horrible now for having messed Saria's new dress that he knew she had spent months making._

_She smiled and hugged him. "Don't worry about it. It's just clothes."_

_Link returned the hug, relieved that she wasn't angry._

_--_

_Link sighed as the blue light dropped him and Princess Ruto outside Jabu-Jabu. Clutched in the young Zora's hand was the Spiritual Stone of Water, the Zora's Sapphire!_

"My mother gave it to me and said I should give it only to the man who will be my husband. You might call it the Zora's Engagement Ring! All right! I'll give you my most precious possession: Zora's Sapphire!" Ruto said, handing Link the Sapphire.

Link had no idea what she meant by 'most precious possession,' but he now had the third Spiritual Stone! He and she turned and walked toward the throne room.

"Don't tell my father…"

--

_Link stepped down from the pedestal, the Master Sword in his hand. He gave it a practice swing and decided that it was a pretty good sword. He would have tried it out on the nearest enemy, but a man walked toward him from the shadows._

_--_

_Link watched as Princess Zelda took his hand in hers. Link could see the tears welling in her eyes as she took the Ocarina of Time from him and started to play it. A blue light enveloped Link, separating him from her._

_--_

_The rising sun will eventually set,_

_A newborn's life will fade._

_From sun to moon, moon to sun..._

_Give peaceful rest to the living dead._

_-_

_When you want to hear my voice, play Saria's Song. You can talk with me anytime..._

_-_

_This is an ancient melody passed down by the Royal Family. I have played this song for _

_Princess Zelda as a lullaby ever since she was a baby... _

_There is mysterious power in these notes._

_Now listen carefully..._

_-_

_My mother composed this song. _

_Isn't it nice? Let's sing together._

_-_

_Ye who owns 3 Spiritual Stones _

_Stand with the Ocarina of Time_

And play the Song of Time 

----

Link sat up slowly. His head was throbbing, but not like it usually did when he remembered something. Now, though, Link realized that he remembered! His adventures in Hyrule, in Termina, even in Labrynnia and Holodrum, he remembered them all! It was almost morning, so Link ventured outside.

----

Malon yawned and sat up. Glancing, around, she noticed that Link was still not here. Marin and Tarin had arrived at some point in the night, but they were both asleep on the floor, the second bed empty.

A song echoed across the area, catching Malon's attention. The song was the one her mother had made. It was the only way she knew that she could quickly tame Epona, too. She slowly climbed out of bed and walked outside.

Outside, on the fence, sat Link. He had the Ocarina of Time, and he was playing Epona's Song with perfect ease, as if he had never forgotten it. The rising sun seemed to silhouette the hero, making him seem even more magical than he already was. Malon couldn't suppress a giggle.

Link glanced over at her, smiling. He brought the song to a close and turned to face her. "Good morning."

She returned the smile. "And a good morning to you, too. I take it some of your memory's returned?"

He jumped off of the fence and walked over to her. The smile had become an enormous grin. "More than just some. It's all back, Malon! I remember everything!"

Malon now understood why Link looked so ecstatic. Malon had never lost her memory, but from what she had seen Link go through in just the past few days proved to be horrible to even watch. His happiness was contagious, she discovered. She, too, broke out into a smile. "That's great!"

Link laughed and suddenly hugged her. Malon, taken by surprise, only took a second to return the hug. After a few seconds, Link let go and laughed again, sitting on the fence.

"Wow. Sorry if I seem a bit crazy to you, but I feel like I've just been given a second chance at life. It's… phenomenal."

Malon laughed. "That's okay. No worries. Besides, you don't seem crazy. You wanna see something crazy, listen to my dad and Ingo argue for a while."

Link laughed. "I'll take your word for it." He sighed, standing up and laying back against the grass. "Oh, and Malon? I may know where to find your father."


	12. Kanalet Castle

**Chapter Twelve – Kanalet Castle**

Malon stared at Link. "What? Where is he?"

"Kanalet Castle," Link replied. "I'm trying to think of where it is. I know there's a castle on Koholint, but I can't for the life of me remember where."

"Kanalet?" Tarin asked, walking out of the house. He stretched, yawning. "What's yer interest with the castle?"

"Link says my father's there!" Malon shouted. "Do you know the way?"

Tarin nodded. "Of course! Jes' go east from here through Ukuku Prairie, and you'll be there. They keep the gates locked, so yer way in might be a bit… tricky."

Link stood. "I can get in." He started walking to the east.

Malon followed him. "I'm coming, too!"

Link stopped. "No," he replied, turning toward her. "You're going to stay here away from trouble."

"But-"

Link didn't want to have to do this, but he didn't want this argument to go on too long. "How am I supposed to protect you from Ganondorf, and maybe even Dethl, when I'm trying to save your father? If you come, only one of you will come out."

Malon was silent. After a few seconds, she replied, "Fine. Go, and please, Link, bring him back safe, for me."

Link nodded. Unsheathing the Master Sword, he spun it once before carefully dropping it down on his shoulder. "Of course. I'm the Hero of Time, after all." And with that, he spun the sword back around and sheathed it.

----

Link shoved aside a large Moblin-shaped rock using his Power Bracelet. Trudging up strange steps carved into the mountain, he vaulted down the other side. Seeing a sign near him, he glanced over at it. It read:

Kanalet Castle 5 Min. - 

Link chuckled. Following the path north, he curved right and read another sign.

Kanalet Castle 50 Paces 

Link nodded and, again, followed the path north. This time, instead of another sign, he saw a large drawbridge. It was raised, and evidently locked into position. Link smashed his fist against it.

"Who goes there?" a voice shouted down.

Link couldn't suppress a chuckle. Even though Zelda hadn't enjoyed any of her suitors' visits, Link would often hunt them down and _say hi_. One of them, a man by the name of Richard, had become a good friend to Link. Often annoyed with people asking him 'who goes there?' when anyone with eyes could see that it was him, he once dared Link to give a ridiculous answer next time he was asked that.

Link was a man of his word. Shouting at the top of his lungs, he replied, "King Bob goes there! And he's come here, too!"

The voice laughed. "Never in my life did I actually expect to hear King Bob shouted back at me." A little window opened up and a head poked out. "And, by the Goddesses, if it isn't Link! You're a sight for sore eyes!"

"Richard!" Link shouted back. "Good seeing you again! Mind letting me in?"

"Sure thing!" Richard shouted back. The drawbridge fell open with a slam, granting Link passage.

Link walked in and drew his sword. Even if Richard was here, that didn't mean that Ganondorf wasn't.

Richard appeared to the side of Link, having exited through a doorway. "What, decided to steal my castle from me?"

Link shook his head. "No, of course not. I'm here because I got a tip from a reliable source that a man, my friend's father, is being held captive somewhere around here."

Richard shook his head. "Sorry, man, the dungeons are empty. The only things in this castle are me and a few Iron Knuckles that I've managed to tame."

"Tame Iron Knuckles?"

Richard nodded. "Yes! It's brilliant, actually. You and your Ocarina gave me the idea. Those melodies of yours seemed to have magic in them, so I came back here and made one myself. A fairy on the top of the Tal Tal mountain range blessed it, too. Well, one day, I was walking along when I met this enormous frog that called himself Mamu. Mamu taught me this one song that he called 'the Frog's Song of Soul' and I tried it in a secret area in the castle. Suddenly, every statue around me started to move! At first, I thought they would hurt me, because I could see that they were Iron Knuckles, and you had told me of your fights with them. However, they never once tried to hurt me. They actually listened to what I asked them to do!"

Link was impressed. "Nice work. Now, about this man…"

Richard laughed. "Ever the persistent one. What does this man look like?"

Link thought for a moment. "You know Tarin?"

Richard nodded. "Around these parts, you'd have to be a fool, or blind, deaf, and dumb, not to know Tarin."

"Well, he looks a lot like him, but older. That, and sleepier."

Richard seemed to be deep in thought, and Link did his best not to disturb his friend. Finally, he looked up.

"I saw a man not three days ago, wandering around here. He headed north, though. He never actually stopped around here."

_"The man you seek is there…"_

Kaigara's words echoed through the back of his mind. "Are you the only person around here?"

Richard nodded. "Besides you, of course. Why? You seem anxious to find someone in this castle. Why?"

Link sighed. "You better sit down…"

----

When Link finished his tale, Richard looked at him in amazement.

"And here I thought you were just some Hylian that hovered around the castle. I can see I was wrong." He was silent a moment more, before continuing. "And this woman, Kaigara, you say she's the spirit of the Conch Horn?"

Link nodded. "And she said that this Dethl would wake soon, so I've got to find Talon and get him and Malon away from here, soon."

Richard stood up and walked out of the castle. "Come on."

"Where are we going now?" Link asked, jogging to keep up with Richard.

"The Tal Tal Mountain Range. I'm gonna show you where I last saw Talon."


	13. Mountain Hike

**Chapter Thirteen – Mountain Hike**

Link sighed as he sat down on a nearby rock. "You sure you saw him come up this way?"

Richard nodded. "Yes. I can see an astonishingly large amount of things from my castle."

"Must be useful. Easy to make sure Koholint is safe, at least."

Richard nodded, weaving his way up the mountain. "It helps." He stopped when he saw a cave that seemed suspended above the ground on the cliff. He threw a rope up there, weighted down with a piece of metal, and tugged at it. He nodded and scaled the rope. Link quickly followed.

Link found himself in a dark cave. Richard stood beside the entrance, and with a sharp kick, sent the rope falling down the mountain.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?" Link asked, surprised.

Richard shushed him. "Don't worry, there's another way out." He walked forward into the dark cave.

"Okay," Link replied, carefully following.

----

Link shoved his sword forward, cutting into and through the Tekkite. It let out a squeal of pain and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Richard, ahead of him, carved open a Like Like that had literally popped out of the floor.

"Come on!" Richard shouted. "Push through!"

Link nodded, though he knew Richard didn't see. Jumping over another Like Like, he ran forward, his feet barely touching the floor save to propel him forward. He caught up with Richard and they raced down the corridor, stopping only when the corridor ended. It opened to reveal a large cavern.

There was no light in the cavern, but Richard plunged in, undaunted. Link, however, stood in the entrance and cupped his hands together.

"Goddess Din, of Fire," he whispered, "help me. Lead me and guide me, here and now. Let your power light even the darkest places."

As Link whispered, a small drop of flaming red liquid appeared in his hands. It swelled, rising up, almost spilling over Link's hands. Suddenly, Link hurled the liquid into the air and the room seemed to burst into flame.

Richard shouted in surprise as he spun around. He quickly discovered that these bits of 'fire' were no more than glowing liquid suspended in the air. However, they glowed strong enough to light up most of the room, save some of the shadowed corners.

"Let's split up," Richard said, heading toward the far end of the cavern. "I'll look over here."

Link nodded and started looking for clues to Talon's presence. He searched for what seemed like hours with no success.

Just as he began to lose hope, he heard Richard shout, "Link! I found them!"

Link rushed over. He saw Richard standing in front of a closed cell door built into the cave wall. Obviously, Richard was excited, or frustrated, because when he pulled the cell door open, it looked like he about took it off its hinges.

"Go on, Link," Richard said. "That exit's around here somewhere, I think. Well, it used to be. I'll go look for it. You make sure Talon's okay."

Link nodded and walked into the room. With a clang, he heard the cell door slam shut.

Link spun around, only to see Richard laughing. "I can't believe you fell for that! The great Hero of Time willingly walks into a cell, only to be captured! That's great!" Richard started to walk off.

"Richard!" Link shouted.

Richard glanced back. "Get used to this cave. You're stuck in here until Ganondorf decides to drop by."

Link stared in shock as Richard vanished into the darkness, laughing. _Richard's working for Ganondorf? There's no way! He knows that Ganondorf is evil! But, if he's sided with Ganondorf, then that means…_

"Kaigara!" he gasped, realizing that now the spirits of the Instruments were in peril.

"Kaigara?" a voice asked weakly from behind him. "Given… up on Malon… already?"

Link rushed over to Talon. Quickly untying him, he checked to see how Talon was faring. "No offence, sir, but we've got more important things to worry about than my love life."

Talon sat up, rubbing his wrists wearily. "I'm sure. Such as, how do we get out of here?"

A third voice chuckled. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Link and Talon both looked over to where the voice was. Behind another set of bars was a surprisingly familiar person.

"Richard!" Link exclaimed. "I thought you just left!"

Richard chuckled again. He held up his hands, which were bound together by some sort of metal bar that had been twisted around his wrists. "Sure, Link. Unless you remember teaching me how to bend metal around my own wrists, I've been stuck here, too." He groaned. "I'm a prisoner. Just like you, it seems."

"Then who was the one who tricked me in here?"

"Dethl," Richard whispered. "He visited me, a week ago, as you. He came to the gate and I saw him. Thinking it was you, I opened the gate and let him in. I showed him the castle and explained a few things, such as how I had created the tame Iron Knuckles that protect my castle."

Link chuckled. "An Ocarina blessed by a fairy and a magic song from a frog, right?"

Richard nodded. "I take it he found you at the castle and did the same thing to you?"

Link nodded.

"Anyway, so he says that he's found a really cool secret place. Intrigued, I follow. He leads me up here, then suddenly shoves me in here. Right before my eyes, he shifted and became this weird bird-man. I've seen strange things, especially since I walked along the Goron paths to get to Hyrule that one time we met. I've never seen anyone like him before. He looked just like a regular human, but his lower half was covered in really old-looking blue feathers. That, and he had two wings that grew out of his back. Suddenly, he laughed, and became me! That was the scariest thing I've ever seen."

Link stood up slowly. He smashed his sword against the bars, but all that resulted was the loud echo of metal on metal. He sighed and sat back down, thinking.

After quite some time, he yawned and fell asleep.


	14. Red Eyes in the Darkness

**Chapter Fourteen – Red Eyes in the Darkness**

Link concentrated again. The Staff became a large hammer. Link smashed it against the bars, but it only glanced off, almost taking off his leg.

Link returned the Staff to normal "What is wrong with this stupid prison?" he shouted.

"That Ganondorf did some magic on the bars. I told you that," Talon said.

Link sighed and sat down. "Yeah, I remember. So what, we're stuck here until Ganondorf shows up to 'rescue' us?"

There was a quiet chuckle on the other side of the cave. Link spun around and scanned the darkness. The drops of fire had quickly worn out some time ago, so all Link could see was the outline of some form, one he guessed was human.

"Who's there?" he asked.

There was no answer. Instead, a pair of eyes appeared. The red irises seemed to glow in the darkness. Link shuddered. Those eyes were familiar, but he could again not place them to their owner.

The figure moved, standing. It drifted silently toward the cage, coming into view just as Link stood up.

Link would have fallen back down had he not been leaning on the Staff of Nevara. "Sheik!"

The Sheikan warrior nodded. "Yup! I'm here, and I've come to fix all of your problems."

"How did you know I was here?" Link asked as Sheik walked next to the door.

With a sudden movement, Sheik popped the lock open. "The Owl here told Kaepora that you were here, and Kae told me."

Link chuckled. "Okay, good. We can use your help." He left the cell, followed by Talon. Sheik popped the second lock, and Richard was free.

Talon and Richard glanced at the Sheikan, then at Link. "You know him?" Richard asked.

Link nodded. "Remember when I said that during my adventure against Ganondorf the first time, I was helped by a mysterious warrior? Yeah, that's Sheik here. Um, Sheik, this is Richard. Richard, Sheik."

Richard nodded. "We've met."

"You have?"

Sheik nodded. "We met when he came to the castle per his father's orders to be one of Princess Zelda's suitors."

"Met? You dropped out of a tree, held a dagger to my throat, and said that if I even show one bit of interest in the princess, you'd make sure they could bury my head and body in different places."

"Ouch."

Sheik laughed. "You didn't even look at Zelda after that. Didn't even bother saying goodbye, either."

"Can you blame me?" Richard asked. "You terrified me."

"And you're not running now because?"

Richard chuckled. "This is my land. Try to kill me and my Iron Knuckles will make sure _your_ head and body can be buried in different places."

Sheik pulled out a dagger. "Care to prove it?"

"Guys!" Link exclaimed, glaring at Sheik. "Calm down. We've got bigger fish to fry."

"Namely a loach named Ganondorf," Sheik said with a growl.

"And a grubfish named Dethl," Richard added.

"Well, then, what're we standin' 'round here for? Let's get going!" Talon exclaimed, heading toward the darkness where the Richard-looking Dethl had left.

Sheik, Link, and Richard followed quickly behind. They found a small side passage that led upward. Quickly erupting out the side of the mountain, the four of them fond themselves on a ledge overlooking Mabe Village.

"Mabe Village?" Richard said, surprised. "This cave empties out here? Why would Dethl and Ganondorf use a cave that has an entrance next to Mabe Village?"

Link knew good and well why. "Simple. It's close to their stronghold."

"Stronghold? In Mabe Village? There's not a well-protected place in Mabe Village."

"What about that stone building?" Sheik asked, pointing.

"The Dream Shrine," Link whispered. "Perfect for Dethl."

"Sounds good for Ganondorf, too. Only in his dreams could he beat us," Sheik added.

"Let's stop by wherever Malon is, then get going," Talon said.

Link nodded and led the way toward Marin's house.


	15. Once a Dream Always a Dream

**Chapter Fifteen – Once a Dream Always a Dream**

"Daddy!" Malon exclaimed, rushing out to hug her father. Talon swooped her up and laughed while Link introduced Sheik to Marin.

"The Dream Shrine? It's been sealed up for years. I'm sure you'd have no trouble getting in, though," Marin commented, looking at Link.

Link nodded. He turned toward the west as Tarin came running up to them.

"There's a boat waiting for you'uns to use at the harbor," Tarin said, out of breath. "Ready whenever you are."

Link turned toward Malon and Talon. "Whenever Tarin recovers from his nice little jog, I want you two to follow him to the boat. I doubt it'll be too hard to get going, so set a course for Hyrule, a bit southeast of here, okay?"

Malon looked over at Link anxiously. "If we take the boat, how will you get home?"

Link chuckled. "Trust me, I have more than one way of getting home."

"You'll be okay, right?"

"Of course I will be. I'm the Hero of Time, after all."

Malon nodded. She stepped up in front of Link. "Promise me that you'll come back safe. Be careful, and please, _please_, don't get yourself killed, okay?"

"I'll be careful, Malon. Don't worry. You go on and make sure the Ranch is okay. And watch Epona for me until I get back, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay." Turning back to Talon, they went into Marin and Tarin's house, followed by the still-tired Tarin.

Marin glanced over at Link. "You're not really going to send them back on the boat without you, are you?"

"Yes, I am. I don't want them here, just in case everything doesn't go as planned. I'd much rather you and Tarin go, too, but you two live here."

"The Dream Shrine, right?" Link nodded. "Well, if you don't come out in a day or so, I'm coming in after you, so I expect you to hurry."

Link nodded. "Don't worry, I will."

Marin started to turn and walk away, but she instead spun around and grabbed Link in a hug. "Don't do anything too out of your league. You're no fun when you're in pieces."

Link returned the embrace and after a second, Marin stepped back. "Okay?"

"Okay," Link replied solemnly.

Marin started to say something else, but headed into the house quickly.

Sheik turned toward the Dream Shrine. "Come on, Link."

Link nodded and they walked the short distance to the Dream Shrine. Link shoved a large rock out of the way and they entered.

Inside the Shrine was a plain bed. Richard glanced over at Link and Sheik and walked over to it. He plopped down on top of it and promptly fell asleep. As he slept, he faded until neither Link nor Sheik could see him.

Silently, Sheik followed Richard's example, falling asleep and vanishing as well. Link, too. climbed into the bed and fell asleep as well, feeling a rather large dream enveloping him.

--

Link opened his eyes to see a long corridor stretching in front of him. Just as he started walking down it, a figure materialized next to him.

Link turned, only to almost slam into the Princess Zelda.

"Zelda!" he exclaimed.

She nodded. "It seems that the Dream Shrine blocks the magic of the Triforce."

"So you can't change into Sheik?"

Zelda shook her head. "Afraid not."

Just then, Richard appeared behind the two of them. He nodded toward Link, but froze when he saw Zelda. "P-princess! Wh-what're you doing here?"

Zelda giggled. "You can't tell anyone, but Sheik's really me. The secrets out here, anyway."

Richard blinked. "So, you mean to say that when Sheik…"

"When Sheik threatened you, that was me scaring off any suitors."

"Oh. So, the Princess of Hyrule threatened to decapitate me. That's tone better than a random ninja."

"Sheikan warrior," Zelda instantly corrected.

"Okay, Sheikan warrior."

Zelda giggled again. "Okay. Let's get going. Ganondorf has got to be in here somewhere."

Link started walking. He had no plans to let Zelda fight in the upcoming battles, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Unfortunately, the Dream Shrine was just as easy as it had been when Link had dreamed about it. One, two, three right turns down four long hallways ended in a staircase leading up. Link, Richard, and Zelda easily scaled them.

However, when they arrived, Link discovered that instead of a small platform with a treasure chest on it, it was a large open area with a single person standing there."Talon!" Link exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Talon slowly turned to face Link. He smiled, and walked forward, toward the three. Suddenly, a large blast of energy hit Talon and sent him flying backwards.

_"Link!"_

Link spun around. "Kaigara!"

Kaigara floated down, staring at Talon. _"That is not your friend. That is Dethl, the evil Siren that almost caused our doom."_

Seven lights floated down around the disguised Dethl. Kaigara herself became a light and floated toward the stunned Dethl. The eight balls of light spun around him so fast that they seemed to blur together. Dethl shouted in pain and exploded, knocking the lights back.

The smoke from the explosion cleared, revealing a man about a foot taller than Link. He looked old, but not in a bad way. He had a majestic and wise air that only age could give. His torso and legs were covered in blue-gray feathers and instead of feet, he had fierce talons that looked like they could rip a man in two. From his back sprouted two wings covered in the same blue-gray feathers, but they were folded back.

"Well, Link, we meet again. And this time, you've brought a few friends." Dethl's voice was hypnotic, but Link was strong enough to easily shrug it off.

Link drew his sword. "That's right. And you seemed to have gotten weaker since the last time we fought."

Dethl walked forward slowly, his talons clicking on the rock floor. "Untrue. This time, Link, I will defeat you."

Richard, too, drew his sword. "Stop right there. You will go no farther."

Dethl laughed. "Two pathetic warriors against me?"

Zelda stepped next to Link, drawing a slender blade that Link never remembered seeing. "Make it three."

Link glanced over at Zelda. "You sure about this?"

She nodded, never taking her eyes off of Dethl. "Positive."

Link turned back to Dethl. "Give up yet?"

"Never!" he screeched. He suddenly started to change. In mere moments, he had become a gigantic suit of armor with one eye and two giant flails.

Link glanced to Zelda, then to Richard. "Okay, let's go!"

The three rushed forward to meet the creature Dethl in battle.


	16. Dethl

**Chapter Sixteen – Dethl**

Link sliced at the back of the giant Dethl, while Richard hacked at the creature's eye, when it was open. Zelda took to dealing with its arms, trying to stop the flails.

Link shouted in triumph as he sliced open the threads that held Dethl's armor on. He attacked the creature's side, causing it to roar in pain and swing one of the flails at him. Zelda, however, took that moment to lodge her sword into the creature's arm at the weak point in the armor that still covered its arms. It dropped the mace and roared again, just as Richard plunged his sword into the creature's eye.

Link shouted, "Back!" as he saw eight balls of light fly toward Dethl. They circled the monster and in moments, Dethl was back to his original form.

"You think that's all I've got?" Dethl asked, chuckling. He stepped back and changed again.

This time, he was Ganon. Brandishing the large double-sided spear, he jumped back and hurled it at Link, all the while summoning Fire Keese to fly everywhere. Link easily dodged the spear, while Richard and Zelda dealt with the Fire Keese. Link ran toward Ganon as fast as he could and rammed his sword into his side. Ganon-Dethl growled, grabbed the returning spear, and smashed Link onto the ground.

Link groaned and stood up. Ganon-Dethl threw his spear at Richard this time, while surrounding Link and Zelda with Fire Keese.

Link laughed and pulled out the Staff of Nevara, concentrating on his Magical Boomerang that he found in Holodrum. The Staff bent and flattened, changing color to become the Magical Boomerang. With an expert toss and a bit of concentration, Link sent the Magical Boomerang flying through the air, hitting every single Fire Keese in one blow. Link caught the boomerang and dashed forward again toward Ganon-Dethl. With a powerful shove, both Link and Richard sliced into Ganon-Dethl as Zelda grabbed his spear, sending it flying down the staircase.

Ganon-Dethl fell to one monstrous knee. The eight balls of light circled around Ganon-Dethl and with a flash, he was once again returned to his normal form.

"Fine," he growled. "I'll fight you like this."

Instantly, his two wings exploded outward in a rush of feathers. The two powerful appendages lifted him into the air, well above the three fighters.

"Link, any ideas?" Richard shouted, trying to be heard over the roar of the wind that the Siren's wings were making.

"I'll pump him full of arrows," Link shouted back, turning the Magical Boomerang back into the Staff of Nevara and into a Bow, "and you two do the slicing and dicing when he lands!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Zelda shouted.

Link aimed the Bow at the flying Siren and shot an arrow. Dethl, however, was expecting that sort of trick and easily dodged it. However, Dethl had not been expecting Link to fire another arrow almost instantly after the first, and flew right into its path. The arrow pierced his left wing, causing the giant bird to screech in pain.

"Now!" Link shouted.

Richard rushed over to Link. In a matter of seconds, Link knelt down and placed his hands on the ground. Richard carefully put one of his feet on Link's hands and jumped as Link pulled up, launching Richard in the air.

Richard flew toward Dethl, who was caught completely by surprised. Richard landed on the thing's back, weighing him down so that they both dropped like a stone to the ground.

Zelda rushed forward and the two of them attacked Dethl with all their might until the siren seemed to explode, shoving his wings out and up, knocking both Richard and Zelda back.

Dethl shot upward in a flurry of feathers and blood. He was infuriated, which made him even stronger, in a way.

Instead of trying to bowl Link over with the wind, Dethl shot straight at Link, planning on skewering him with his talons. Link, however, had other plans. Jumping into the air, Link was just high enough to avoid Dethl's talons, but not high enough to avoid Dethl entirely. The two fell into a jumbled heap of feathers, blood, sword, and talons as the two tried to do their best to incapacitate the other.

Link jumped back, away from Dethl, and shot dozens of arrows at the grounded bird. The arrows pierced his wings, pinning him to the ground.

_"Now, Link! Now!"_ Kaigara shouted, as the eight balls of light flew toward him. The lights landed around Link and Dethl, forming a perfect circle. With a flash, each of them changed.

Before Link stood the eight Spirits of the Instruments. Sarde, Kaigara, Mahri, Nami, Rahi, Ansho, Silu, Raimei all stood in a perfect circle around Link and Dethl. Raimei stepped forward, his robes seeming to shine in the dim light. When he spoke, his voice seemed to boom like thunder.

_"Dethl, siren leader of old, you have enslaved us long enough!" _he exploded. "_For far too long, we have stood idly by while you manipulated the inhabitants of this island. Your reign is now over! Once, long ago, you declared war with us, and trapped us inside our Instruments. You were defeated by Link, but even then, you only disappeared, to rest, and recover. Now, it is over! Once and for all, we shall defeat you!"_

Raimei turned to look at the other seven Spirits. _"Brothers! Sisters! Return to who you were meant to be! Play your Instruments! Unlock your powers! Defeat this foul bird!"_

The eight Spirits held their Instruments, ready to play. At Sarde's command, they started. As each played, the Instruments started to glow. Suddenly, they each were enveloped in a ball of multicolored light. After a second, the light shot toward Dethl, enveloping the Siren.

_"Now, Link! Kill him now!"_ Kaigara shouted. Link lunged forward, but was suddenly launched back.

Laughter filled the Shrine. "Finally, you have proved useful, Dethl!"

In a flash, Ganondorf was standing in front of Dethl. In a quick swipe, he plunged his great sword into the glowing beast. Dethl shrieked, and the light that was around him tightened. With a thump, the air around Dethl impacted and the light shrank to a single ball of light no bigger than the tiny orbs that they had appeared as.

Ganondorf swooped down and grabbed the ball of light. Holding it above him, he started chanting in an ancient language Link could not understand. Suddenly, the light exploded outward, blinding Link.


	17. Ganondorf

**Chapter Seventeen – Ganondorf**

When Link could see, he saw the Dream Shrine around him in ruins. The single bed was burnt to a crisp. Richard and Zelda stood next to him. The three of them rushed forward, only to discover that the village was in ruins.

Twilight had fallen, but Link could easily see everything. The light came from fires that were everywhere. Link rushed forward to where Marin and Tarin's house was.

It, too, was in ruins. The entire building looked like it had been run through. The entire fence was on fire, making a ring of flames around the house.

"Marin!" Link shouted. "Tarin!"

Link heard a groan behind him. He turned to see Zelda supporting an injured Tarin. "Link… We're all okay. I… got a bit hurt, but I'll heal. Marin, Malon, and Talon are all on the ship. I told them to go on, that I'd look for you, but I'm sure they're still there."

Link nodded. "Good. Thanks. Richard, take Tarin to the ship and shove off. Zelda, go with them."

Richard nodded, but Zelda angrily shook her head. "I'm not leaving, not until I make that Gerudo _pig_ pay for this."

Link put one hand on Zelda's shoulder. "There's nothing we can do at the moment, not until Ganondorf is found."

Zelda helped Richard hold Tarin so that the two of them could walk. "Go on ahead." Richard nodded and obliged.

Link looked at Zelda and sighed. "There's no way that I'll convince you to go, is there?"

"No," Zelda replied.

"Okay." Link turned and looked at the sky.

He was shocked. He hadn't yet noticed, but there were flames everywhere. They seemed to be shooting out from the top of Mount Tamaranch. Link and Zelda rushed forward to the mountain.

--

Link and Zelda stopped at the top of Mount Tamaranch. At the very center, about five feet above the ground, floated Ganondorf. He was surrounded by a multicolored aura. Flames shot off of him every few seconds.

"Look at me now, pitiful Hylians! I have absorbed the powers of the eight Sea Gods! Nothing can rival me, not even the power of the Goddesses!"

"Oh yeah? We'll take you down!" Zelda shouted.

"Fool princess! Watch my power and tremble!" With that, Ganondorf concentrated. With a roar, he swung his arms outward and the air seemed to explode in flames. The fire shot out from him in a wave, covering everything.

Always thinking ahead, Link invoked the powers of Nayru's Love, surrounding him and Zelda in a blue shield that blocked the flames. However, they watched in horror as the flames incinerated the island. The trees were turned to ash almost instantaneously. Even worse, Link and Zelda saw a small thing on the water burst into flames as well. The flames kept going, setting islands even farther out on fire. These fires seemed to strengthen the flames.

Ganondorf laughed. "Now the entire world burns! Whoever survives will know my power and will bow to me!"

Link, enraged, drew his sword. "You... You monster! You just killed hundreds, no _thousands_ of people! All of Hyrule will suffer! The Hylians, the Gorons, the Zora, the Gerudo, even the Kokiri now are in danger because of you!"

"In danger? Ha! Only the Gerudo are truly safe! Your precious woodlands will soon be nothing but ash!"

Link leaped forward, towards Ganondorf. Surprised that the Hylian would still be brave enough to act, he was caught unaware as Link viciously slammed into the Gerudo King.

Link drove Ganondorf into the ground as hard as he could, dealing blow after blow to the Gerudo with his sword. Zelda stood in shock at Link's fury, never expecting the Hero of Time to mercilessly beat on another person, even Ganondorf.

Ganondorf shoved Link off of him and floated into the air again. "You ignorant child. I have the power of Gods! You cannot hope to defeat me!" With that, Ganondorf threw a ball of fire at Link.

Link rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the flame ball. Again, Ganondorf launched another fireball at Link. Again, Link avoided it. Ganondorf kept lobbying fireballs at Link until finally, he was fed up.

"Fine! You want to run away? I'll settle this once and for all!" He held up his hands and an enormous fireball formed. He hurled it at Link.

Link had time to prepare, so this time, he safely avoided it. However, he had not expected to hear a cry of pain anyway. He spun around, only to see Zelda, who was about to charge in and help Link, fall to the ground. The giant ball had hit her!

Link rushed over to her. He sat her up, all the while keeping an eye on the somewhat content Gerudo. "Zelda… Are you okay?"

She groaned. "I… can't feel my body. It's all… numb. My head… it hurts."

Link watched as her eyes slowly fogged over. Her breath, as ragged as it was, slowed. He could feel her pulse slow to almost nothingness.

"Link… Stop him… for me," she whispered with her final breath.

Link nodded sadly. "I will, Zelda. I will make sure he pays for this…" He carefully laid her down again one of the rocks that were strewn across the mountain. Shaking with barely controlled rage and anger, he turned to face Ganondorf.

"I made a promise just now!" he shouted, making sure the Gerudo could hear him. "I told her that I would make sure you paid for this, and I hold true to my word!"

Ganondorf laughed. "Pitiful child!" he shouted back. "I told you, I have the powers of the eight Sea Gods! Thanks to your mistake in telling Dethl about the spirits of the Instruments, he kindly told me, and I realized the truth! I absorbed their powers, as they meant for you to do. Now I am the ruler of everything!"

"Not for long!" Link exclaimed, jumping into the air.

Ganondorf backhanded him back down onto the mountain. "That trick will not work twice!" Ganondorf hurled a ball of fire where Link had landed.

By some miracle, Link managed to roll out of the way as the fireball exploded right next to him. He struggled to his feet and grasped the Master Sword.

"Your pathetic princess isn't here to seal me this time!" Ganondorf taunted. "You might as well bow down before me!"

"Never!" Link shouted. He again jumped into the air, but this time Ganondorf grabbed him. He floated high into the air and put his hand in front of Link. He created a fireball, then rammed it into Link's chest as he released him.

Link fell to the earth as the fireball propelled him. When he hit the earth, the fireball exploded, scorching him.

Link groaned, reaching for the Master Sword. Just as Ganondorf threw another fireball at Link, Link grabbed his weapon and thrust it at Ganondorf, waiting for the fireball's explosion.

No explosion ever came. Instead, there was a strange sound, as if something was sucking something else into it. Link opened his eyes, only to see the Staff of Nevara clutched in his hands. The fireball was being absorbed into the Staff!

Suddenly, the Staff flared red, then a rainbow of colors. Ganondorf cried out in pain as a small ball of light shot out of him. It floated to Link and a bright flash revealed Sarde, the spirit of the Full Moon Cello!

_"Link!"_ she exclaimed. _"Time is short! The Staff is nowhere near powerful enough, yet! You must unlock its full potential!"_

"How?"

_"There is a secret to it, one that even I do not know the whole of, though I do know a part:_

'_When Flame and Forest both shall meet,_

_A touch of Green shall soon unseat_

_Flame and Fire, 'cross the land,_

_Crafted by a Hero's hand,"_

she chanted. Suddenly, she became a ball of light again and flew into the Staff of Nevara.

Ganondorf roared. "I will not lose!"

Link could feel new energy flowing from the Staff. "We'll see about that!" He swung the Staff through the air and a burst of green energy shot through the air, slicing across Ganondorf.

The Gerudo shouted in agony as the magic burned his skin. He retaliated by launching a wave of flames. Again, Link held out the Staff. The flames almost instantly were absorbed into the Staff, and Link instinctively pulled the Staff back.

Another ball of light erupted from Ganondorf. It materialized into Kaigara near Link.

_"Good to see you again, though this is not quite the time! I assume Sarde passed on her knowledge of the Staff's secret?"_ Link nodded. _"Unfortunately, the only others to know much else are Nami and Raimei! All I know is that there is a great cost to use the Staff's final power!"_ She, too, became an orb of light and flew into the Staff.

Again and again, Link pelted Ganondorf with the Staff's streaks of light. Ganondorf tried once more to roast Link, but Link blocked it with the Staff of Nevara.

A third ball of light came out of the Staff. This one, Mahri, spirit of the Sea Lily Bell, only appeared long enough to tell Link that the more of them that concentrated their energies on the Staff, the more powers it would have.

With the three of them, Link found that if he transformed the Staff, it would have more power. He chose the Light Arrows, focusing the sharp arrow on Ganondorf.

Instantly, a blinding light lit the mountain. Whereas a normal Light Arrow would cause a flash, this one caused a rolling wave of light that seemed to never go away. Ganondorf fell to the ground, his power waning. He suddenly slammed his arms into the ground, causing a wave of fire to erupt toward Link.

Quickly changing the Staff back into a staff, Link shoved the Staff into the ground. The flames shot up the Staff, draining Ganondorf of power, and another Spirit.

Nami materialized next to Link.

"_Son of Flame and Son of Frost_

_As Human life pays the cost,_

_King of Power and Harnessed Fire_

_Trap forever in a plight most dire,"_

she intoned. With that, she, too, flew into the Staff.

Link walked forward towards Ganondorf, brandishing the Staff as he would the Master Sword. "Give it up, Ganondorf!" he shouted.

The Gerudo King stood, trying to gather his power. "Never." He floated up and suddenly burst into flames, sending them forward like he had done the first time.

Link held the Staff high. Once more, all the flames flew into the Staff, dragging out two Spirits this time.

_"We can never thank you enough!"_ Rahi of the Wind Marimba told Link before he vanished into the Staff. Ansho, the spirit of the Coral Triangle, merely nodded as he, too, lent his powers to the Staff.

Ganondorf fell to the ground. Unable to float, he instead drew his sword. It burst into flames as he swung it at Link.

Link blocked it with the Staff of Nevara. The Staff started sucking the sword's flames into itself, drawing out Silu, the spirit of the Organ of Evening Calm.

_"You've almost done it!"_ she shouted happily. _"All that is left is Raimei!"_ She, too, vanished.

The Staff of Nevara pulsed in Link's hand. Without thinking, he drove its tip directly into Ganondorf's stomach.

The Gerudo's body erupted in flames. The Staff pulled them to it hungrily. Ganondorf was shot back as the final ball of light floated away from Ganondorf.

Raimei appeared next to Link.

"_Use it now! Use it wise!_

_Defeat the danger in the skies!_

_Take up flight! Wield the Staff!_

_Defeat the evil with a Master's Craft!"_

That said, Raimei flew into the Staff.

Ganondorf slowly stood. Link could see the shock and terror in his eyes as Link stepped closer. With the power that Ganondorf had tried to harness, Link could see everything. Nothing was hidden from Link; even the riddles made perfect sense. Link grabbed Ganondorf and slammed him against the ground, the anger overflowing form him. Hurling him off of the mountain, Link gave chase and cannoned him back up, making sure that he landed as painfully as possible.

"You have killed countless amounts of people!" Link shouted, his voice booming across the sea. "You have brought a wave of death upon this entire world! By your own power, though, I will undo it!" Link held the Staff of Nevara above Ganondorf. He could feel himself rising into the air. With a swing, Link brought the Staff down, slamming it into Ganondorf. Instantly, Link lifted the Staff again. Flying high into the air, Link spun the Staff in a large circle. The Staff left behind a trail of green, encasing Link in an orb of green light. Just as the orb finished, Link shouted, "Let the Dreamer's work be done! Seal Ganondorf, King of Thieves and Dark One of Evil, in the Dark Realm! Let this work be undone, and yet done again, forever!"

Link shot upward, out of the orb of light. Using the Staff, he etched out a giant Triforce, with the stunned Ganondorf at the center. He threw the Staff high into the air and watched as it spun.

"Staff of Nevara!" Link shouted, grabbing the Staff as it fell and throwing it like a spear straight down.

The Staff flew true, sailing straight down. It pierced the orb and seemed to pull it down. The Staff stabbed into Ganondorf, causing the Triforce symbol to glow gold. The Staff, too shone gold in the night as the orb shifted to gold as well. Suddenly, the orb exploded, blinding Link.


	18. Awakening

**Chapter Eighteen – Awakening**

Link groaned, sitting up. The sun was beating down on him, making the wood beneath him terribly hot. He sat up and glanced around, trying to remember where he was.

With a rush, it all came back to him. The island, the Staff, the final fight, the death of most of the world, even the death of Zelda exploded into his mind. However, looking around, things were nowhere near the same as he remembered.

It was the middle of the day. He was on a ship that was slowly drifting, as there was no wind to push it. Albeit a little sore, Link didn't feel like he had fought anyone, save maybe a few waves. He looked around at the calm ocean. There was nothing to be seen for miles. Link walked over to the edge of the ship.

The sun vanished behind a thin cloud. As it did, a rainbow spread across the sky. Link watched, in amazement, as the eight colors split into their own beams of light. They each became a vague form that seemed to float in the air. The second color-shape turned toward the ship. Link could have sworn that it winked at him.

Just as fast, they were gone. The sun again beat down on Link as he turned. On the deck, he saw the Master Sword lying next to its sheath. Picking them up, he sheathed the sword and strapped it to his back.

Link yawned as he walked into the ship's cabin. He picked up the Rod of Seasons from the table and walked outside. Standing next to the ship's wheel, he held it until he could feel the cool spring winds rush around him, filling the boat's sails. Link steered the ship toward the south, toward Hyrule. Yawning again, Link went back into the cabin and put the Rod of Seasons back on the table and, on a whim, grabbed the Ocarina of Time. Returning to the deck, he sat down and started playing.

-

The waters rippled as the Ballad of the Wind Fish floated across the seas.


End file.
